This was a busy week! A wedding cake tasting, two birthday orders, and a surprise I'll tell you about in a couple of weeks!

First up, this birthday cake for a lovely lady. I made her wedding cake last year, and her husband requested her birthday cake be the same flavors - alternating layers of strawberry and lemon cakes filled with lavender blackberry buttercream. Yum!

Here's a quick video of me filling the layers with that delicious buttercream. Be kind, it's my first video, and I quickly learned that it's hard to fill a cake and hold a camera at the same time!

Summer is here, and that means congratulations are in order to this year's high school seniors!

The client provided a few inspirational pictures for this black and grey graduation cake, and after a little tweaking, this ombre rosette and swirl cake was designed.

Both tiers of this cake were our Chocolate Fudge recipe filled with Strawberry buttercream, The graduation cap was made from Rice Krispy Treats and covered in fondant. and for the non-chocolate lovers at the party, there were also two dozen Vanilla cupcakes with coordinating black, grey, and white sprinkles.

The other day, Daphne, one of our Facebook followers asked, "What is the most unique cake you have ever made?" I thought about it for a moment and realized there is no short answer to that question! Several came to mind for different reasons - unique flavors, unique design, unique structure...

So here is the not-so-short answer to the question.

Most unique "off the menu" flavor

A few years ago, I was asked to provide cupcakes for a going away reception for a family going on a mission trip to India. We came up with a yummy Vanilla Chai recipe and topped it with Cream Cheese icing.

Most unique combination of flavors

Last summer we made the most flavorful wedding cake to date. It contained alternating layers of Lemon and Strawberry cakes, and it was filled with Lavender Blackberry buttercream.

In addition to the refreshing, flavor packed wedding cake, there was also a Strawberry groom's cake, again filled with Lavender Blackberry buttercream. AND... there were 5 flavors of cupcakes too! Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, Strawberry with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, and Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream. Yes, I would have been the guest with 5 cupcakes on her plate so I could have them all!

Most unique structure

Ok, so I couldn't pick just one here! First, I would have to go with the gray damask wedding cake we made for an open house a couple of years ago. The smaller separator tiers really gave the silhouette of this cake a modern feel, even with the very classic damask decoration.

Then there is the first carved cake we ever made. The client ordered this cake for her dad's birthday, and he was restoring two Triumph motorcycles. My engineering husband made cutting guides for me so we could get the finished cake to be to scale.

Finally there is the heart shaped 25th Anniversary cake I made last summer. Why is this one a unique structure? Well, I don't have any heart shaped pans! The hearts were made by cutting away parts of round cake tiers to make the point of the heart and then moving and molding those pieces into the bumps at the top of the shape.

​Most unique design

It was really hard to narrow this one down, but I would have to say the most unique design I have made so far is the Shoe and Purse birthday cake. Not only is each fondant shoe and purse different, but each side of the cake features a landmark in Paris and London where the couple had traveled. The birthday girl's boyfriend made that suggestion - I originally sketched out sky scrapers in the background for this one. I love that he wanted to make the cake more personal and unique to their experiences!

Here is a better shot of those tiny shoes!

​Most unique client

All our clients are special, but I would have to say that the most unique client that has contacted us so far is Make-A-Wish® North Texas. The organization was granting the wish of a girl who wanted a trip to Hawaii, and they were throwing her a wish reveal party to celebrate! We provided this cake complete with fondant waves, a tropical sunset, tiki carving, and gumpaste hibiscus flowers. So fun!

We have definitely had some unique orders over the last 8 years, and I can't wait to see comes next!

This super cute cake was made for a baby shower last summer (I'm a bit behind because of the move). It featured ombre rosettes in blue on the bottom tier and a grey chevron pattern on the top. It was accented by a grey and blue bow...

...and this little guy!

Here he is drying before being moved to his permanent home as star on the top of the cake.

This cake was sweet on the inside too. The bottom tier was our White Chocolate Wedding Cake with Vanilla Buttercream filling, and the top tier was Cookies & Cream Cake with Cookies & Cream filling. Yum!

Hi! I'm Melisa

I am the owner, baker, designer, decorator and all around 'one woman show' of Sweet By Design, a home based, custom cake bakery which is located just outside of Dallas, Texas. I hope to shed a little light on the wedding and event industry and make your day a little sweeter!